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APCOA, the parking specialists who run FGW's car parks, will from the beginning of May be offering the same tariff to both cash and mobile phone customers. Gary Cooley, contracts manager at APCOA, explains: "When RingGo was rolled out across the First Great Western Network in 2006, the budgets and prices had already been set for the year. Now we've got the opportunity to align the tariffs and offer customers an even greater incentive to park by phone. Of course, the more money that is channelled RingGo's way, the less maintenance the machines require and the fewer trips we need to make to empty them. We've now reached a position that we can pass that saving back to the customer." Users of the service will still have to pay for the phone call, but because the service is offered on an ordinary Bristol landline number, the cost tends to be included within the caller's airtime package of network minutes. "The removal of the 20p 'convenience charge' will both reward our loyal base of existing users and, we hope, sway some drivers who are yet to try RingGo", comments Harry Clarke, commercial director of Cobalt Telephone Technologies. "Thankfully when you introduce a new service, there are always the 'early adopters' who have a go. But we do appreciate that some people have been put off by the additional fee, however small" "RingGo currently attracts 700 brand new users each week, but by offering the same tariff for coins and cards, we're hoping that this will accelerate further. Our hurdle remains that first time of use. Once motorists try RingGo we are delighted to find that they are enthusiastic to use it again."
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